Night and Day
by Ushio-chan
Summary: POST-BD. Renesmee and Jacob are BFFs since she can remember. Her feelings for him are changing. But sudden and dangerous events can broke this two starcrossed apart forever. Rate T, NxN,Chapter 7 is UP!R
1. Chapter 1

**N/A: Hello! This is my new story and it's not focused in Bella and Edward****, for once. I wanted to write this since I finished reading Breaking Dawn. I don't know yet if this is a NessiexJake or NessiexNahuel, but I'll try do add as many twists as I can. **

**And it doesn't mean that I'm abandoning my other stories, okay? I'll update as soon as I can Independent Bella and Gold&Blood.**

**Have fun and check the disclaimer in my profile!**

Chapter 1

Night and Day

"_Night and day, you are the one_

_Only you beneath the moon and under the sun_

_Whether near to me, or far_

_It's no matter darling where you are_

_I think of you_

_Night and day, day and night, why is it so_

_That this longing for you follows wherever I go_

_In the roaring traffic's boom_

_In the silence of my lonely room_

_I think of you_

_Night and day, night and day,"_

Ella Fitzgerald – Night and Day

Nessie's POV

I crossed the small airport of Port Angeles, dragging on my way my bag and my violin across my chest. I thought that I would be the only one in the small plane, but, apparently, Forks had become some kind of hot spot for teenagers, because the amount of babbling chicks on the plane was simply scary. I can't imagine the reason; the weather was gloomy and wet, just the way it was when I left, eight years ago.

I don't think I can say that I missed this.

My eyes scanned the room for my reception committee and I wasn't disappointed. I saw my Grandpa, Charlie, standing between the two big Native American boys, and shape-shifters on vacant hours, Jacob and Seth. The poor Charlie seemed so small and pale… so _normal_, that I had to laugh at the view of him. I bet Charlie asks himself every day how the hell did he, a quiet Chief of Police of a tiny city lost in the middle of nowhere, get involved with shape-shifters and vampires.

Poor Charlie, he really deserved a normal, cool granddaughter. But instead, he got me.

"Hello!" I said, covering the space between us and giving a small and awkward hug to Charlie and studied his face. "Hey, Grandpa! Look at you!" I said, evaluating his appearance. He looked refreshed, with a glint in his eyes. So nice to see he's happy. I know he worries about Mom and me a lot. "Are you dying your hair or something?"

He gasped and, to my surprise, he blushed a bit. "Of course not, kid!" Jacob and Seth snorted and Charlie cleared his throat loudly

"And how come you're taller than me? What those two have been feeding you?"

I exchanged a knowing glance with Seth and Jacob, my eyes lingering a bit on the second one. He looked… different. Funny because I knew his face so well, since before I could even remember, almost as well as I knew my own. Was he taller? Tanner? I think I'll have all summer to find out.

"Spinach, Charlie. That's the secret," I winked at him as Seth bended to kiss my cheek. I angelically gave him my bags and his smile faded. That's what men are made for, right? I turned to look at Jacob, "Aren't you going to say hi?"

"Sure," Jacob said, after a moment, a small smile on his face, and his big hands buried in the pockets of his faded jeans and he bent to give me a kiss on the cheek. I linked my arms with his and we started walking to the parking lot. "You know, I'm kind of disappointed. What happened with all those black clothes from last time?"

I felt myself blushing and Charlie turned to look at me over his shoulder.

"Black clothes?" he raised his eyebrows, "I thought you were on the hippie stuff."

I cringed with the memory.

"Yeah, Charlie. But you are kind of outdated. Last time I went to pay a little visit, our Nessie here seemed to have come straight out of a Matrix convention," replied Jake smirking at me. Seth snorted. I could feel my cheeks starting to heat a bit. Mom's curse, I'm sure.

"Shut up. I got tired of wearing black everyday, that's all." I shrugged, trying to look indifferent, but failing miserably. Ugh, did Jacob have to make me remember that?

Oh, silly question, of course he did.

"Oh, come on, Jake. Give the girl a break. She looked, uh… different with that black hair. I think it was better than the surf girl phase."

My best friend and my grandfather cracked up and I muttered between my clenched teeth.

"Thanks, Seth. That helped a lot."

He grinned at me.

Okay, so about a year ago, I had this phase of just wearing black clothes, and the black nails and everything. Since I couldn't rebel against the system in the traditional ways – disturbing the order, crashing proprieties (trust me, I tried. It gets a bit difficult when you have a mind reader as a father), I decided expressing my revolt on my clothes. I had even straightened my hair and dyed it black. The worst part is, I really thought I was being pretty hardcore, with the guitar and the leather boots.

Man, they looked at me and laughed. My family, who should be shocked, laughed. All of them, even Esme; the sweet, polite Esme cracked up, to my complete distress and humiliation.

You can picture the major turn off it was.

So, here I was, with the normal creamy tight pants, caramel boots, and white sweater; Standard Cullen outfit, pale, quality clothes. Oh, well, what can I do?

I also gave up on the guitar. I was never really good at it, but I love playing the piano and I'm giving the violin a shot.

"So, what do you think?" whispered Jacob, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked at what he was pointing to. It was a 1967 Pontiac black GTO. Amazing!

"Oh, my God, Jake!" I squealed, walking to the car and getting really annoyed because I had to be in human speed. "This is freaking amazing!" I peeked on the inside and smelt the delicious scent of the leather. "Oh, my God. Look at those benches!" I turned to look at him and his smug smile, but I couldn't bring myself to care. "Where did you find it?" I practically groaned.

Jake chuckled and his long fingers passed on the door of the car, like he was caressing a cat and his hand covered mine. "On a ferry in Atlantic City. You wouldn't believe how cheap it was."

"Ahem," Charlie cleared his throat and Seth rolled his eyes.

"Well, if you two have finished having sex with the car, can we, please, go home? It's kind of starting to rain, you know," he smirked at us.

Jake glared at him and Seth's grin faded a bit.

"Can I drive?" I asked, since they seemed occupied putting my things in the back of the car.

"No!" said Charlie in a stern voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, come on! I already have a license," I growled.

"You are a kid," said Charlie, his lips pressed thin, just like mom.

"I'm eighteen," I replied, folding my arms, stubbornly.

"Wrong, kid. You are seven. Now, sit in the back of the car and put the on the seat belt like a nice girl."

Hmm, time to change tactics. I turned to Jacob and made my best-lost puppy face.

"Jake, please! Let me drive! Please, please, pleeeeeeaaaase!!!!!"

He clenched his teeth, closed his eyes and nodded, "Go ahead. But I'll be by your side, so don't screw up."

"Yay!" I knew I could count on Jacob. I quickly went to the driver's door and opened the door. The sweet smell of that fantastic machine hit me.

"Jacob!" said Charlie, irritated, "She's too young to drive!"

Jake shrugged, "Not for the State, Charlie. And she's going to be okay. I was younger than her when I started to drive. Give the girl a shot."

I could see Charlie's distaste, but he didn't say anything else. He just opened the back door and sat besides Seth, who was pouting and folding his arms. I checked the rearview mirror and smirked at him.

"What's your problem, Seth?" I asked, as Jake sat by my side and closed the door. I turned on the car and the machine purred like a kitten. Beautiful.

"Nothing. I spend three days BEGGING Jake to drive the car and he denies me. YOU are here for five minutes and got it. THIS IS NOT FAIR!!" he said, raising his voice a bit. I saw Jacob rolling his eyes.

"Sorry, Seth. I guess he loves me more," I said and at the time, I had no idea.

NJNJNN

The drive to Forks was pleasant, with the three of us torturing Charlie while we sang the songs on my iPod. I think Charlie didn't like much the new version of "Beat it, from the Fall Out Boy. "Too soon, I parked in the front of Charlie's new house. Did I tell you Charlie got married with Leah Clearwater's mother and "adopted" Seth? Now the three of them were living in a two story, four-bedroom house near the forest. Over the past few years, Charlie and Seth made a few visits to wherever we were living. But Sue never accompanied him in his travels. She had never really accepted the vampire thing.

We exited the car and Jake gave me my violin, as the others put my bags in the room I would be staying for the rest of the summer.

"Aren't you going to come in?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

He held my hand and led me to the house.

It was warm inside and it didn't take long until I heard the TV being turned on to a game, but there was definitely a woman's touch in everything; Scented candles, fresh flowers, and warm, inviting colors on the walls. And pictures, lots of them. But I just found a couple of Mom and me in hidden behind the others.

"Renesmee," said a calm, formal voice from the door of the kitchen. I turned and smiled to Charlie's new wife, Sue.

She was a thin, pretty woman, with thin laughing lines around her mouth. By the look of distress on her face, tough, she wouldn't be smiling any time soon. Her shiny black hair was cut very short, a bit more stylish then the last time I saw her. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a white tank top.

"Sue," my tone was polite, but cold. I stretched out my hand and she shook it, very quickly. An awkward silence fell on the living room. Thank God, Seth decided on coming down and said, "Hey, Nessie! I put your things on the guest room."

"Okay, thanks Seth." I turned to Jake, "I'll take a shower and then we could take a drive somewhere, if you want to."

He flashed a slow, pleased smile at me. "Sounds good to me."

Before I could reach the stairs, I heard Sue saying. "The dinner will be settled at 8." And then she went back to the kitchen. I raised my eyebrows at Jacob and he shrugged and went to check the game with Charlie.

The guest room was in the end of the hall. It was painted in a warm shade of white. Colorful paintings of the forest and what I thought was First Beach were everywhere. There was nothing much besides a bed, a wardrobe and a table with a chair under the window. A colorful tan duvet with many tones of red, yellow, green and blue was the high point of the room. The bathroom was clean and had fresh towels. I was between taking a shower or calling my parents first, when my iPhone rang inside my purse.

I reached into the purse and struggled to find the damn iPhone. You have NO IDEA how many things Alice put in there. For some reasons I can't describe, she must think I need a powder, gloss, antifrizz conditioner, brush and a bunch of things I had no idea why they were used. I finally found the phone and picked up.

"Hey, Dad!" I said, leaning against the pillow and stretching my legs.

"Hey, princess. How was the trip?" relied him in his velvet voice.

"Noisy. How is Isle Esme?"

He sighed, dreamy. "Amazing. Your mother is the terror of the dolphins." He chuckled and I heard my mother saying:

"I heard that, Edward!"

"You are imagining things, love. I never said a word," he chuckled and I heard my mom mumbling something. I laughed as well. We were really attached, the three of us, and with the rest of the family. I missed them, but I knew they were having fun. "Nessie, sweetie, your mom wants to talk to you."

"Okay, oh, Dad! I almost forget to tell you."

"What is it?"

I told him about the car and he, as a fan of cars I knew he was, made me tell him every single detail about the GTO. It was him and Rosalie who taught me to love cars. But, for me, the most special thing I shared with my father was the love for the music. My childhood was short, but I had lovely memories of him teaching me to play the piano.

As soon as I described the whole picture and promised to send him a photo, my queen of Prom Mother picked up the phone.

"Hi, Mom!" I said.

"Hello, honey!" said her musical voice. I pictured her lying on the white, thin sand besides Dad, facing the amazing blue sky, sparkling like diamond. "How are things in Forks?"

"They are great, Mom. Grandpa has a great house and, you won't believe this: he dyed his hair!"

I heard Bella gasping.

"Charlie did what? Oh, my God. I have to see this. Renesmee, do your mom a favor and send me a picture!" she added, chuckling, and then she filled me in with the most recent Cullen gossip.

"Alice and Jasper are in Montana, with Carlisle and Esme, setting the new house up."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought Rose and Em would help them."

I could imagine my mom smirking, "I think Rosalie wasn't very pleased when she knew she would have to face high school again."

Ugh, that was so Rosalie.

"Shouldn't she be used to it by this time?"

"Oh, you know Rose," she sighed, "She's with Emmett in London. Enjoying the very rainy British summer. Oh, talking about enjoying, Kate and Garret will be getting married in November."

I rolled my eyes at the ceiling and heard Seth knocking on the door. "It's about time. I thought they were never going to get married!"

"Kate said Garret wants to the ceremony be in the Amazon forest. Because of the exotic food, that's what she said."

I tried to picture our very pale family in the middle of the steamy rain forest, with Kate in a feather sarong and with the tribes of native's tambours as soundtrack. "That will be interesting. I believe Alice didn't appreciate the idea."

"On the contrary, my dear. She called it 'the challenge'. God help us."

I laughed with her and added, as Seth started to look bored. "Mom, I'll call you later, okay?"

"Fine, tell Charlie and the boys I said hi. I'll call Jake later. Bye!"

I turned off the phone and turned to Seth. "Yes?"

"You and Bella are a pair of bubbly grannies, did you know that?"

I stroke my tongue out at him. "As if you shape-guys didn't spend most of the time bubbling and gossiping around the pack. But I don't believe you are interested in sarongs, so split out, because I really need a shower."

He looked a bit awkward and bit his lip.

"I'd like to apologize because of my mother."

I felt so sorry for him. I went to him and pulled my arms around him.

"You have nothing to apologize for. It's not easy for her to accept what I am. And what my family is. This has nothing to do with you or Charlie."

"Yeah, I know. But my sister is coming home and things will get worse. I'm just letting you know."

I bet it will. I shrugged. "If this is true, I'll have to deal with it. If this is a problem, Seth, I can stay at a hotel for the next two weeks."

"Jacob would never accept that."

"Let me worry about Jacob," I said. Jacob would understand. He always does. I don't think with Charlie would be so easy to explain. "So, why did you guys decide to move?" I asked, picking out a fresh outfit to wear after the shower from my suitcase, "If Leah is living in Port Angeles; you would have my mom's old bedroom to yourself."

He frowned. "Didn't Charlie tell you? The old house was destroyed."

JNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNNJNNJNNJNNJNNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNN

**N/A: So, how do you find so far? Good? Bad? Please, review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**N/A: So, this is the edited version of the chapter. Much better, right?**

**Happy reading and don't forget to review!**

Chapter 2

Blue Moon

"_Blue Moon_

_Now I'm no longer alone_

_Without a dream in my heart_

_Without a love of my own"_

Ella Fitzgerald – Blue Moon

NPOV

"_Charlie didn't tell you? The house was destroyed." _

I stood there staring at Seth for a couple of seconds, absorbing what he said, then I snapped:

"_What story is that?"_

Seth looked mortified. He raised his hands and took them to his hair, almost pulling it out in despair.

"You _didn't know_?" his face went pale. "Oh, my God. Jake will kill me, I should not be talking to you about that;" then he cringed, "I shouldn't be talking about that either!"

While Seth was kicking himself, I turned and looked outside. Charlie's old house used to be on the edge of the forest. This one was a townhouse. A few blocks away from the forest itself but close enough to go there by walking. To a vampire or a shape-shifter, the distance was nothing.

Then, up ahead, I saw it. I just recognized because it was like a hole in the neighborhood. My hands curled into fists when I saw the ruins of the house where I spent my very first Christmas.

"What the heck happened there?" I asked, my mouth hanging opened, "A nuclear war?"

"Hey!" said a stronger voice from the door. "Can you two get any louder? Charlie was asking if you two were into a fight or something."

I turned on my heels and looked at Jacob. I can't believe this. He knew something like this all the time and what? Forgot mentioning the fact my Grandpa had to move because his house was attacked? He was at our house last week!

"Why nobody told us about this?" I asked, trying to understand their reasons. But it was difficult. We all worry about Charlie and I know it was difficult for my mother leaving Forks and him behind.

And now, Charlie suffered some kind of attack or accident and they don't bother telling us?

I'm sorry. I love Jake and the wolf guys, but this was _wrong_.

Jacob's eyes went between me, Seth and what I could possibly have seen in the window. He rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Don't tell me you told her, Seth!"

Seth blushed under his bronze skin, if that was even possible. I felt his body heating a bit more.

"It kind of slipped out. I thought you had told her! " He said, trying to defend himself from Jake's mortal glare.

I didn't run to Seth's defense because I was getting a bit pissed myself. "Could you stop talking about me as if I wasn't here? I still want to know what happened with the old house, you know."

Jacob made a move of impatience. "Fine. I'm going to tell you. A vampire happened, okay? He broke into the house in the middle of the night and tried to dinner Charlie and Sue. But Seth here woke up first, locked the oldies at the bathroom and got ride of the bastard. End of the story."

I shivered thinking about the fear they must have felt. The danger. What if Seth wasn't home? What if he was in the woods? And we couldn't know because Alice can't see the future with me close to her, or the shape-shifters.

My mind started working, as I picked up the iPhone again. This wouldn't stay like that. Maybe, we could hide Charlie somewhere safer than Forks. He was almost retiring, wasn't he? It would be nice to spend his resting years on a beach, right? No forest. Some place sunny, like LA! No, no, too many drug dealers. San Francisco? No, too many earthquakes.

"Hey." Called Jacob, holding me through my arms and shaking me a bit. I blinked and looked at him, confused because I was too deep in my own thoughts of a rescue plan to get Charlie out of the rainy version of Sunnydale. "Chill out. We took care of it. Charlie is covered. "

I looked at him and shrugged him off. "And what could have happened if Seth wasn't here? You can't protect him 24/7, Jake. Nobody can."

"Nessie…" called Seth, looking upset. Jacob was pale under his russet skin. He looked unhappy and sad. I started dialing the phone. I was almost crying.

"No, Seth. I really appreciate what you've done. Damn, you saved his life. We shouldn't have involved Charlie in this."

"Renesmee." Called Jacob, holding my wrist, not forcefully, but in a gentle movement. His eyes never leaving mine as he took the phone out of my hand. "Calm down. We always keep someone on his door. He doesn't know, but we do. We won't let anything happen with him or Sue, okay?"

I nodded and then I stepped away from Jacob and whipped my silly tears. I didn't come here to cry. I was glad because Charlie and everyone were okay. I'd leave Charlie's security stuff for later.

"I'm fine." The boys looked at me skeptically. Just God knew how I look like right now after 5 hours in a damn plane. And I could bet the humidity was NOT good for my hair at all. Even with vampire DNA. "I am. Now, would you boys excuse me so I could take a bath? By the way, is there a place in this hole where you can get a decent burger?"

Jacob rolled his eyes at me and said. "Yeah, we can stop worrying now, Seth. Bitchy Nessie is back."

"Hey, I'm not bitchy!" I protested.

"Yeah, I can see that. Too much time with Rosalie." Said Seth, totally ignoring me and looking at his watch. "Well, I can't go with you guys because I have a meeting with the girls from the Student Council."

Jacob snorted. "Oh, yes. His hot date for the summer."

Seth blushed. "It's not a date. Plus, it's going to be three more people and me. So, it's not a date." He said, with his chin raised, left the room.

"You keep telling yourself that, pal!" said Jacob looking out of the door. "But we both know that Joan chick has her eyes on you."

I laughed and asked. "Seth, the terror of the Forks High. Who would have guessed?"

"Wait until he imprints on someone." Said Jake, in a low tone. But I could hear loud and clear.

"Why? Did you? Did you imprint on someone?" I asked.

I kind of feared this day, when someone was going to be more important to Jacob than I. It was silly and childish, I know. But he was my best friend since forever. It would be difficult to give space to someone else.

He looked hesitant for a second and I had this impression he really wanted to say something, but Charlie called from downstairs.

"Hey, Jake. Come on here, boy. I think those chicken boys finally woke up!"

I chuckled and Jake's expression changed again. " It's better to see what he wants." I nodded and smiled. He turned and yelled, happily to Charlie, as he headed downstairs "Hey, Charlie, hold that Doritos package for me!"

I went to the bathroom and took a shower, but the fact he didn't actually answered my question was still bothering me.

This is really getting weird.

JNNJNN

In the end, we didn't go to eat the burgers, but he asked me to have lunch at his house instead.

Jacob's house was a tiny bit bigger than I remember, with the adding of a tiny garden on the front yard and violets poted outside the windows.

"Wow!" I said when he parked his car on the side of the house. "Someone has started a gardening hobby, huh?"

He smirked. "You'll see who's been gardening, sweetheart."

I raised my eyebrows at his words and got out of the car. We passed by a group of kids who were playing in the street. He caressed the top of the heads of a few f them in the way and I noticed a couple of them looking at me with their mouths hanging open. Maybe I can't get unsuspicious, after all.

We found Jake's father, Billy, sitting on the sofa, reading a book and an exasperated smile on his lips. In a near armchair, there was an older woman, who was doing crosswords in a little book.

Billy Black looked up when we came in a smiled at us. It was a relief to know he didn't mind (much) me hanging out with him. He stretched his hands and I took both in mine.

"Hello, Nessie. It's been a long time." He said, and then he turned to the lady in the corner of the room. She had stood up and I noticed she was a tall, strong woman, in her late forties. Her dark, chocolate brown skin was very pretty, almost polished and her hair, dyed in a discreet shade of dark brown was short and curly. She was wearing white denim pants and a thin white sweater.

"Oh, this is a good friend of mine, Nyah Johnson. She's helping around here, now that Jacob is all busy with the mechanics," I turned to see Jacob peeking in the kitchen, probably to try to find out what's smelling so good (for human food, at least). "Nyah, this is a good friend of my son, Nessie…" I looked at him, my eyes wide and mouthed the word

"Masen"

"… Nessie Masen."

Yes, I was using the surname Masen, instead of Cullen for this one reason: my family and I would be living in Montana and we all would start as sophomore in High School, so we could stay longer. This time, the adopted children would be Mom, Alice and Emmett. Dad and I would be brother and sister and Esme's nephew and niece whose parents died in an accident. Rosalie and Jasper were, again, twins and Carlisle's niece and nephew , whose parents were working in Australia.

Yes, it's complicated. So, I needed to start to get used to this Masen stuff and calling Dad Edward.

"Hello, Miss Masen." Said the old lady gently, but the shake of her hand was firm and her eyes were alert and sharp. I liked her. I wonder if something else is going on between her and Billy Black.

"Call me Nessie." I said, sitting on Billy's side. I heard a feminine voice coming from the kitchen and I don't know why, my ears became a bit numb.

"Dad, Nessie is staying for lunch, 'kay?" said Jacob.

"Of course." He nodded and then turned to me, "I hope your parents okay." Said Billy and we both know that was pure blah, blah, blah. My parents were vampires.

"Yes, they are more than okay. Taking a little vacation on the beach."

Mr. Black laughed, "I bet it's not like La Push."

"No, they are in Brazil." Mrs. Johnson raised her eyebrows. "We have a beach house on Rio's coast. "

"It sounds wonderful." Said Mrs. Johnson. "Excuse me, but I'll check the lunch in kitchen. Now Jacob's here, just God knows if something will be left for us."

Billy and I chatted for a bit, and then Nyah announced the lunch was ready. I watched her help Billy with the wheelchair and we went to the small and, as I could see, immaculate kitchen.

Jake was helping a girl, who seemed to be on her early twenties, to sit down the table. He pulled me a chair and he sat by my side. The girl who was serving the food was Mrs. Johnson's daughter, Ashanti. She was a lovely girl, with the same chocolate skin, but her hair was black and pulled behind by tiny braids and the rest fell on her back, shiny and straight. She had big, wide dark eyes and full lips. She was like a mix of Alicia Keyes and Lauren Hill

Did Jacob imprint on her?

_God, what was my problem?_

"Hey, it's good to finally meet the famous Nessie." Said Ashanti, passing me the potatoes. I served a bit to myself and passed them to Jacob, who looked a bit green. "Right, mom?"

"Indeed, dear. He kept saying 'My friend Nessie will spend her summer here.' If I didn't clean up his room, I'd bet there was one of those clocks with regressive count."

I flushed and I heard Jacob's father snorting.

"I did not." Said Jacob stabbing the meat with the fork and shooting the ladies a smirk "I may have commented a few times that you were coming." He added, looking at me.

"Really? What else did he say?"

"Nothing much, actually." Said Ashanti. "I'm not here for a long time."

"Do you live here on the Reservation?" I asked, taking a bit of the toasted chicken.

"My mom does, because she's a home nurse for Billy. I'm in Seattle University, trying to get a History Major."

I pursed my lips. "Wow. What's the focus of your study?"

"Pre-Columbus history, actually. I have interest for the Native American costumes and habits. My idea it's to write a book about their legends. When I heard that Mom would be here, I just had to come too. Their stories about their mystical guardians are fascinating."

I felt Jacob stiffening by my side and I put a hand on his back, supportively. Poor Jacob, he didn't deserve to imprint on Veronica Mars.

"That's very cool. Are you studying other cultures as well?" I asked, trying to move on the subject.

"Of course. It's impressive how many of their legends are alike." She smiled and I could see she would love to know more about the supernatural. "But, tell me, Nessie, where do you study?"

The rest of the lunch was passed without much awkward questions. It's funny like, as much as you lie, it easier it becomes. I just said that Jacob and I had met a few years ago, when he went to visit us during Christmas. We sat in front of TV and, exactly, five minutes later, Jacob had fallen in deep sleep. I decided to go for a walk. It had finally stopped raining.

I put on my parka, let Billy know that I would be back soon and, since none of the Johnson girls were up to a walk, I wandered on the reservation. Everyone looked so busy. There were tourists around, taking pictures and being lectured by a guide. I was asking myself if I should join them, when a familiar voice called me.

"Nessie? Nessie Cullen?" I turned and saw a very pregnant Emily Young, surrounded by little kids, who approached me and gave a big hug.

"Hey, Emily!" I returned her smile. A little boy pushed her sleeve and whispered on her ear.

"_Who is the pretty lady?"_

I smiled and Emily gave me a knowing one back. "I guess you heard what he said. Well Johnny, this is a good friend of aunties, Miss…"

"Masen." I added, bending a bit to look on his eyes. I stroke his thick, black hair. "But you can call me Nessie."

He kept looking at me as I had announced I was an alien and wanted to see their leaders. Then he said. "Can I touch your hair?"

"Err...Sure. I guess." I picked him up and his hands went to my hair. The other kids started wanting to mess with my hair too. Emily was talking to them, when a strong, male voice said.

"Hey, you. Put my son down!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nothing Really Matters

"_Nothing takes the past away _

_Like the future _

_Nothing makes the darkness go _

_Like the light _

_You're shelter from the storm _

_Give me comfort in your arms_"

Madonna – Nothing Really Matters

NPOV

"Hey, you! Put my son down!"

I just had time to realize that was Paul, one of Jacob's oldest friends and brother-in-law who was talking to me like I was Hannibal Lecter, before he took three large strides and took the child from my arms. I heard Emily gasping and I widened my eyes at him.

"Paul, what's wrong?" asked Emily automatically putting her hand on her huge belly "Why do you look so distressed?"

I saw him closing his eyes as if to control himself before he turned to Emily. "I'm 'distressed' because you're supposed to take care of Johnny. I'm taking my son home now."

"What is your problem?" I asked, before I could stop myself. Of course I knew what the problem was. I was much more dangerous than Hannibal Lecter or any other serial killer. But I wanted to hear it from him. Because he knew me since I was in diapers and I went to his wedding with Rachel three years ago. He knew my whole family.

"I'm not taking any chances." He said between his clenched teeth, mostly because we did have an audience. I saw a couple of old ladies looking, scared at me, as I was some sort of juvenile delinquent. They even debated which crime I might have committed and they reached the verdict that since I had reddish hair, I might be part of some Goth religious gang.

Fantastic.

"Fine." I said. "Let me say this one thing about your attitude, okay? Screw you. I wasn't doing anything wrong. And I don't have to prove myself to you. So, screw yourself and your jerk-like attitude---"

I huge hand covered my mouth before I could finish my little speech. I looked up and I knew it was Jacob. The heat of his body passed through mine in waves, as his woodsy scent and his strong body next to mine. With the corner of my eyes, I saw Ashanti standing close to Emily, looking both scared and confused. Her eyes darted from Paul to me and then back to Paul and Johnny.

That was great. Now she would be following Jacob wherever we were.

"Nessie, honey. Can't I leave you for a couple of second without you getting into some kind of trouble?" he asked, in an easy tone. I clenched my teeth to prevent myself from biting him. "Is that some kind of problem here?" he asked.

"No, Jake. I think Little Nessie and I reached an agreement." Said Paul sarcastically. "And the same goes to you, princess." He added with a sour smirk and turned his back to us, taking the kids with him. I pushed Jake's massive hand and turned to him. I was furious and to my mortification, I was about to cry again. I wasn't a crybaby type.

"Why did you do that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Nessie, hon. I'm sorry about that. But Paul is freaking overprotective with Johnny and he just decided that you were like a threat." He shrugged. "I tried to talk to him, but he made up his mind."

I shivered at the idea of biting a child. I mean it was not like the scent of Johnny's blood wasn't alluring. But how can someone do something so horrible like hurting a child?

"I know." I said, passing my fingers through my hair, feeling both frustrated and sad. Emily put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I shouldn't have yelled at him like that, but it pissed me off. He just wants his child safe. I respect that." I shrugged.

"I'm sorry too, Nessie." Whispered Emily. "I didn't think he would react so badly." She made a pause and looked at the sky. "I'll talk to Rachel later and she might convince Paul to chill a bit. Why don't you guys come home with me? "

"Excuse me?" asked Ashanti and I almost groaned, because I totally forgot she was watching us "But what's going on? Why would Nessie be some sort of threat?"

The three of us turned to look at her, probably thinking the same thing. What the hell were we going to tell her? Because it looks like Jacob didn't explained anything at all. So, we would have to keep secrecy and be careful with our conversations around her. That sucks.

But if he stops phasing and actually start aging again, he won't have to explain anything at all. He'll just live his human life with Ashanti happy ever 70's or 80's.

I mentally cringed at this possibility. But I would have to suck it up. He wasn't my Jacob anymore. It wasn't my decision.

He was… hers. Ashanti's Jacob. Yeah, I could deal with that. I was perfectly okay with that.

"Nessie used to be a Hell's Angel, so Paul is kind of freaking out a little bit." Said Jacob with the most shameless grin.

"Oh." She said, a bit shocked, looking at me, as I was about to pull a chain out of the pockets of my parka and started shaking in the top of my fiery head as the Phantom Motorcycle.. "I mean, wow. I never took you as the motorcycle type."

I'm gonna kill Jacob.

"Yeah, it was a phase." I said carelessly, stepping away from Jake. "Jacob taught me how to ride, didn't you, buddy?" I asked sweetly. I haven't forgotten the way he avoided answering my pleas of having riding lessons. Somehow, he always found something else to do. I'm sure Edward had something to do with this.

"Sure, sure. Emily, dear, what about that coffee now, huh?" he said, totally running away from the conversation. I chuckled, quietly and, apparently, Ashanti was pleased with the explanation that I was some sort of delinquent.

The trip to Emily's house was short, with me walking by her side. A thin, cold rain falling on our heads. I was pleased to see the house was heated and made Emily sit down in a chair near the table and, to have something to do, I started boiling some water. In a natural movement, Jacob went to pick up plates and cups. We worked around each other, as the conversation about what movie we could be going to watch tomorrow in Port Angeles.

The afternoon passed softly, with we played poker (I was dealing the cards) while the rain hit the windows. When it started getting dark, I got up saying that I needed go back to Charlie's. I really didn't, but I was kind of tired of that Jacob-and-Ashanti stuff.

"I'll take you." Said Jacob, getting up too and picking his coat up off the back of the chair.

"No need." I said, putting the parka on and fixing my hair. "Just lend me one of your bikes. I think I'll rent a car tomorrow. "

Jacob opened his mouth as if he was about to protest, but I raised my eyebrows at him. Wasn't I an ex-Hell's Angel? So, I could totally ride a bike, right? It was his idea.

"Fine." he said between his clenched teeth. "Why don't we go get the keys for you?" he said, politely, but I could feel his glare. I won and he knew it.

We said goodbye to Emily and left. Again, we couldn't talk right because Ashanti was so close. It was irritating. Ashanti went to her room and Jacob and I went to the garage, where he handed me the keys He didn't seem pleased.

"You know this is dangerous, right?" he said. "Don't run with this thing."

I rolled my eyes "Jacob, I'm not a fragile human like Mom. Please, a bit of confidence here." I said, adding a smile, but he was staring at me, looking sad. Then he shrugged and stroked my hair, messing it. I knew we were okay again.

I effortlessly pushed the bike out of the garage and climbed on it. I turned to look at Jacob and shot him a smile. He looked like the same Jacob as always. His hair was, like mine, a couple of inches above his shoulders, like an ebony coat against the bronze of his skin. His smile was broad and easy. He looked as easy in his garage as usual. He was my friend, my brother. He was part of my family.

Damn.

I climbed down from the bike and went to him. He blinked, a bit surprised, but his arms welcomed me as usual. We stayed hugged under the shelter of the garage of a long time.

"Nessie." He asked, his chin resting on the top of my head. "What's the problem? Is something upsetting you? Is it because of Paul?"

I shook my head and looked up at him. I cupped my hands on his face and showed him as I remembered him. The moments we had fun together. He blinked and smiled, but I kept my face serious.

"Promise me this will never change."

He stared at me intently and something burned in his eyes for a moment. His breath smelled like coffee and chocolate and a thrill went down my spine. I noticed his eyelashes were pretty long, smoldering his dark eyes. I felt like I was missing something, but he just nodded.

"Never." He said and his voice was husky. I buried my face on his chest and inhaled his familiar scent; let the heat of his body calm my nerves down. I was too freakish today. Maybe it was the tiresomeness of the trip.

I stepped away and quickly kissed his cheek. He flashed me a smile and I climbed on the bike again.

"So, see you tomorrow?" I asked, putting on the helmet and starting the machine.

"Sure, sure. I'll have to work tomorrow morning, but I'll be free after lunch. I'll pick you up at home. Why don't you just invite Seth and we all go?" he asked.

Yeah, would be nice having company. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Bye, Jake."

He waved and rode back home by the road that coasted the forest. It was dark there and I considered stopping and making a snack before getting home. But then I wouldn't be hungry enough to eat human food, which I wasn't really a fan, but I'd have to try getting used to, since I was going to High School in September. I wasn't really thrilled about dinner with Sue and Charlie. But, at least, Seth was there and Seth was the best to cheer things up. Maybe I could practice a bit with the violin before dinner.

I parked the bike next to Charlie's cruiser and took off the helmet. Jesus, I hate those things. I just used because, if I did, maybe Charlie wouldn't be so freakish when I arrived.

I was wrong.

He opened the door looking quite outraged.

"_Renesmee Carlie Cullen_. Do you mind explaining to me what this thing is?" he asked, pressing his lips in a thin line and folding his arms.

"Hey, Grandpa." I said, climbing down from the bike. "I asked Jake to lend me his bike until tomorrow. I'll rent a car for the next two weeks. It's just too boring keep getting a ride anytime I want to go somewhere."

"Jacob shouldn't---"he groaned and then sighed as I looked at him sheepishly "I give up. Fine. At least you won't be riding this dangerous thing all the time." He muttered.

I linked my arm with his as we walked back to the house. I saw Sue standing in front of the window staring at us like owl. Seth was standing by her side with a goofy grin.

"Hey, Nessie!" he said, beaming at me. "Nice entrance!"

I laughed. "Thanks, Seth. I do have my moments. How was the meeting?"

"It was okay. We chatted most of the time, but we did actually made a couple of decisions. At least the cake Sabrina brought was good."

I rolled my eyes playfully and then went to his side and batted my eyelashes "Did Joan bring some cake too?"

He flushed. "No, damn. Could you and Jake cut this crap? Joan doesn't have a thing for me! We are just friends." He protested. I cracked up.

"Seth, sweetie. It's okay." I said, patting his muscular forearm "So, you have a crush on her, then?"

"No, I don't!"

"And this Sabrina chick even brought a cake…" I said, thinking about the situation. I imagined the three girls from the council trying to get his attention and Seth, giddy and new at this love thing, blushing like a teenager. No, this was too cute to resist. I clapped my hands excitedly "When do I get to meet them?"

Seth started pushing me in direction of the stairs. Maybe I pushed his buttons too much.

"Never!" he squeaked, "Stay away from this, Nessie!" I pouted and he growled. "Man, you're worse than Alice!"

I laughed evilly and turn to face him from the third step. "Just watch me, Casanova. I didn't even start."

"That's what I was afraid of." He said, raising his hands to the ceiling in a prayer. I shrugged and went to my room. As I did have time and wasn't in the mood for violin practice, I turned on the computer and went to check on my little research over the Volturi.

It was my secret. I tried, the most I could do not think about when I was near Edward. He'd get pissed if he knew it. But the Volturi was my obsession. I knew that sooner or later, they'd come to check on me. Caius was convinced that I was a threat. And God knows that old hag won't rest until he finds a way to destroy my family. So I copied all the data available about the Volturi members, including their gifts. I leaned back on the chair and studied my work. It wasn't really much and I'm sure Carlisle knows all this. But, maybe we were missing something.

An instant message popped up on the screen and I automatically, clicked on it.

"_Hello. Are you Nessie Cullen? My name is Julia Ohtori. I'm a half human, half vampire girl." _


	4. Chapter 4

**N/A: Hi! It's been a long time since I updated anything, but a bit of everything happened this month, like lack of inspiration, a freaky steamy weather and I'm positive that my post-graduation will be the death of me. My next update will be the new chapter of Independent Bella, so just wait and see!**

**Well, fourth chapter, finally. Don't forget to review! **

Chapter 4

Dream On

"_Every time that I look in the mirror_

_All these lines in my face gettin' clearer_

_The past is gone_

_It went by like dusk to dawn_

_Isn't that the way?_

_Everybody's got their dues in life to pay"_

Aerosmith – Dream On

NPOV

_Blastrulez: Hello. Are you Nessie Cullen? My name is Julia Ohtori. I'm a half human, half vampire girl._

"WTF?" I said aloud, my jaw dropping open. I read the message again. It was written in Zephyr font, dark pink lyrics. Girly, definitely.

My fingers arched to start typing; I forced myself to stay calm and think. I know this seems to be a lame attitude for me, but a sudden feeling of panic washed over me as I stared at the pretty innocent words again. What if this is one of the Volturi on the other side of the screen?

My whole body instantly stiffened and then I realized how ridiculous that was. I'm getting paranoid, for crying out loud! The Volturi doesn't exchange instant messages on the computer; they simply send their assassins and exterminate vampires and hybrid vampires.

I had to stop reading Dan Brown and his conspiracy books.

I passed my fingers through my hair, trying to think. Maybe this was one of Nahuel's sisters. It's been a long time since we spoke to them. It seems that Volturi visit to his family didn't go too well – one of his sisters died trying to protect her father. So, Nahuel moved with his sisters and his aunt to Spain. I felt so sorry for them. He had such a difficult life. But, if someone in his family is making contact, that is a good sign, isn't it?

Or, maybe it's someone completely different. Someone who has nothing to do with the Volturi, with Nahuel's family? Is it possible that there were others like me out there?

I bit my lip, hesitating. I had gazillions of questions in my head, but…

Well, what if this was a prank? I was a Cullen and I knew my family (namely, Emmett and Jasper) very well. As far as I knew, this could be Emmett on the other side of the screen, cracking up at my hesitation. He loved this kind of thing, especially when he gets bored. I sat again and folded my arms, still staring at the screen, not sure about what to do next. I had to answer _something_. But there were a few details bugging me, such as: how the hell this person found my MSN email? And how did she/he know what I was?

I chewed my lip and then typed, smirking:

MrsdeLioncourt: Nice try, Uncle Jasper!

_Blastrulez: Uncle Jasper? What are you talking about? _

I clenched my teeth. Oh, they were good; I'd give them that. But there is no way they are going to get away with this. I refuse to let myself be tricked by those two! They'd laugh at this for years if I believed it.

MrsdeLioncourt: Hahaha. I know it's you, Uncle Emmett! "rolls eyes" How is it Aunt Rose and Bath?

_Blastrulez: I AM NOT YOUR UNCLE! _

MrsdeLioncourt: Very funny! =P

_Blastrulez: For the last time, Cullen. I'm not your freaking uncle! I'm a girl! Oh, forget it! Do you have a camera on your PC?_

I stared at the invitation to start a conference, growling a bit under my breath. That was rude! This wasn't funny at all. Emmett or not, this person was going to hear a piece of my mind. I clicked the "OK" button and turned on the camera, fuming.

Err; I had to admit it wasn't Uncle Emmett after all. _Shit. _

My cheeks started heating in embarrassment.

Staring at me from the screen with her elegant eyebrows furrowed and smoking a cigarette was beautiful girl, with a small, heart shaped face, framed by glossy, straight black hair, chopped to her chin with a razor. Her eyes were wide and dark, with thick eyelashes and her lips were full and painted in bloody red. She was as white as the moon, with a hint of pink on her cheeks and pale lavender circles under her eyes.

_Just like me. _

My hands curled into fists on my lap. How was that possible? I thought it was something rare. Vampires, usually, don't hang out much with humans, take aside have sex with them (well, except for Tanya's sisters and Nahuel's father. And I cringed at the thought…Dad.). Humans usually don't live long close to a vampire.

So, what's her story?

We sat staring at each other for a few moments. It was so--- weird. I mean, vampires raised me, my best friend was a shape shifter and one of my Grandpas is human, but I was different. I knew that and I didn't care, but she was like me. One of my… kind.

"So, do you believe me now?" she asked, putting down the cigarette and folding her arms, revealing a couple of leather bracelets, that matched the steel necklaces and ear piercings she wore. (I have no idea how she did to get those piercing. My skin was rock hard). They fell over the dark blue T-shirt ripped on the neckline and with the word written "Westwood" in bright pink. She had just that punk girl style that I tried until last week. But, instead of looking like some vampire wannabe, she looked the leader of some hardcore punk rock band. Maybe it's the badass attitude.

"Yeah, sorry about that." I mumbled, blushing a lot. I was mortified. There is no way that I'm going to tell anyone about this. "I thought you were one of my uncles and—" she kept staring at me as if I was mentally incapacitated, "Never mind." I smiled apologetically, looking away.

Is it too late to fake faint?

She stared at me for a second; snorting at first, then she threw her head back and cracked up. Her laughing filled my room like ringing bells. After a second, I laughed too. She picked up the cigarette again, smiling widely.

"It's okay. Let's start over? My name is Julia Ohtori. Nice to meet ya."

I sighed, relieved. Thank God.

"Nessie Cullen. It's a pleasure to meet you too," I said with a smile, grateful because Julia moved on with the subject, "How did you find me?"

She blew the smoke and chuckled:

"Sweetie, we are in the Internet Era. I saw your photo on Facebook and you know what people say… a picture is worth a thousand words." She smiled kindly, but the effect was kind of scary, like "I'm going to beat the crap out of you after school" style.

I groaned. The Facebook account was Maggie's idea, and Maggie, let me tell you, is just like Aunt Alice… _insistent_. And you don't even have the comfort of lying to her. Because her gift it's to know when someone is lying.

So, that's why I got my profile on Facebook. To find hot vampire guys around the world. So far, just freaks and perverts seemed interested in exchanging messages.

Typical.

"Fabulous." I said. I shrugged it off. At least she's not a freak. "Well, why don't we try to get to know each other a bit? Twenty questions?" I asked, trying to be practical.

"Sure." She said leaning against the chair and folding her arms behind her head, looking at ease. "Shoot."

"Okay." I bit my lip, thinking of something. "I'm from Forks, Washington."

"New York City. The best city on the whole world." She said proudly.

And I'm going to live in Billings, Montana. _Never mind._

I smirked "I think I can't argue with that. Fine. Living with parents."

She rolled her eyes. "Stuck with Grandparents. Humans."

I was about to ask something else, but the last one got me. "Hold on a second. You live with humans? How is that possible?"

She blinked a bit confused and then she shrugged.

"Well, my mother died in labor and the son of a bitch that raped her took off a long time ago, honey." She made a pause, her expression serious. "You said you live with your parents. You mean you live with your Dad?"

"And my Mom." I completed, slowly. "My father turned my mother after the labor. They are married." I smiled at the thought "They are the most lovey dovey couple of the century."

Julia cursed under her breath.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing. I mean, you got lucky." She said, trying to stay indifferent, but I could see there was something else. Her gaze was distant. She smiled, but there wasn't warmth in her eyes. She seemed so sad. I felt so sorry for her.

"I know." I whispered. I had the luck of growing up with not only my parents, I also had a whole family around me, supporting me and loving me. I knew I should be grateful everyday of my existence for that. "I'm so sorry about your mother."

She nodded. We remained silent for a while and then she shrugged. "Whatever. What do you like to eat? I mean, what is the least disgusting for you?"

That one was easy. "Sweets. I've got a sweet tooth, I guess. You?"

"Almost raw meat." She bit her lip "I buy a package of blood once a week from the refrigerator near the station."

I laughed at her embarrassment.

"Ugh! My kingdom for a package of donated blood!"

We both laughed and she said.

"It's nice to find someone like me after all this time. I always like an outcast. I wasn't like anyone else around."

Tell me about it.

"I live with a vampire coven, Julia. The only one like me that I know was a boy called Nahuel. He lives in Spain. He has two sisters. They are hybrids like us."

She considered for a second. And then she opened a mischievous grin. "Nahuel, huh? Interesting. Well, is he cute?"

I stared at her, confused. "Who?"

Julia rolled her eyes. "This Nahuel guy you are talking about! So, you and him---"

"Oh!" I said, stupidly. And then I realized what she was saying. "Oh, no. Not at all. I was a baby when I saw him. It was a long time ago."

I chewed my lip; thinking about that very distant day the Volturi came to Forks, the tense days after Christmas. The mansion filled with witnesses of my growth. I had the vampire memory, but I never really paid much attention to him. I was so concentrated on my parents, my family and my Jacob. I mean… just Jacob. But I saw him. He was a tall, muscular young man. He seemed to be in his late teens. His skin was like milk chocolate and he had long black hair tied in a long braid. He had lovely features, but what called my attention were his large, teak colored eyes.

"Yeah, I guess." I said, frowning a bit. Every time I thought of Nahuel, it was like a friend of the family, but never as a male: a hybrid male. It was just too weird.

"Sweet!" Julia said, rubbing her hands, with a mischievous look on her lovely face and then I heard a voice on the other side of the screen and she turned to speak with someone I couldn't see. She nodded quickly and turned to me. "Hey, I've got to go. Are you going to be here tomorrow?"

"Sure."

I shut off the computer, still processing the whole thing. The room was darker than when I started. What time was it? I asked myself half hearted. I quickly glanced at the nearby house and started, stunned, as I watched a guy, a very cute one, actually: Tall, tanned, bulky, golden haired, the Quarterback type, you know? Well, he was dancing very happily to "Do it Well", by Jennifer Lopez. He had a furry, pinkish scarf around his thick neck and large Jackie O sunglasses on his face.

I knew I shouldn't be staring like that, but I couldn't help it. He danced quite well, actually. Mom could take a couple of lessons from him about rhythm. He did a particularly complicated move and opened his eyes.

He saw me. He saw me watching him.

Please, someone, shoot me now.

I smiled chagrinned and quickly, shut the blackout curtain. I sighed, relieved, I think this is not my day. I peeked at the digital clock on the bedside table. It was 8:17 pm

"Shit!" I hissed, rushing out of the room at vampire speed.

The awful smell of cooked carrots almost knocked me out when I got out. I clenched my teeth and kept going. In half a minute, I was downstairs, at the dinning room, to see that everyone was already seated for dinner. Sue just glanced at the clock on the top of the door and pursed her lips.

"Sorry for the delay, I was talking to a friend and lost track of time." I said, with what I hope was my best smile. I wasn't really in the smiling mood today.

"Never mind, kid. Just sit and help yourself." Said Charlie, at ease, as he served himself with a very big portion of garlic smashed potato.

"Carrots?" Offered Seth with an evil grin. I narrowed my eyes at him, but I took the bowl and served myself with half of a spoon of carrots. Ugh. I hated vegetables; I picked up a piece of salmon from the nearby dish and started eating.

We ate in silence, until Seth said:

"Hey Ness, I was checking on the movies schedule in Port Angeles and it's passing "Wolverine". What do you think?"

I grinned at him. Maybe this holidays are not going to be a total disaster, after all. "That's a beautiful idea, Seth! To watch Hugh Jackman in a tight T-Shirt? Any day!"

He rolled his eyes and I heard him mumbling. "Chicks."

Charlie cleared his throat. "Are just the two of you going?"

"No," answered Seth, cutting his beef, "Jake and Ashanti are going too."

"Ashanti Johnson?" asked Sue, for the first time. She served herself with more cooked carrots and poured some olive oil on it "She's a nice girl. Very intelligent and pretty. I think it's very good for Jacob to have this kind of feminine company around him."

Excuse, but what am I? A dude?

I filled my mouth with salmon to stop myself from replying to that one.

"Yeah." Said Charlie pensively, while he took a sip of green iced tea (another of Sue's improvements). "It's been a while since Jacob finally got interested in someone." He sighed, contently. I chewed the fish distractedly, half hearing what Charlie was saying, too pissed because Ashanti seems to be the best thing ever and I almost had a "Wanted" poster in every corner of La Push reservation. Dang. I felt Seth's eyes were on me, but I ignored him. "The time passes so quickly. It seems like it was yesterday when he was after Bella and tried to steal her from Edward."

I almost spat the salmon out of my mouth.

"JACOB DID WHAT?"

JNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNNJNN


	5. Chapter 5

**N/A: Hello! I know it's been a**** very long time since I updated any of my stories. This year is being very difficult for me. Whatever. **

**Anyway, I'm alive and kicking, so I'll be working on the other stories. Just a warning: this chapter is not fixed. When the beta sends me back (if she hasn't abandoned me yet), I'll post the chapter fixed, okay?**

**Lol **

**Ushio-chan**

Chapter 5

Wild World

"_But if you wanna leave, take good care_

_Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there_

_Just remember there's a lot of bad and beware"_

– Wild World

NPOV

" _W__hat?"_

There was an awkward silence, as Sue glared at Charlie and Seth winced. I think Charlie noticed he had talked too much because he turned his full attention to the food on the plate. I knew I couldn't get any help from Mrs. Sue, so I turned to Seth.

I pushed the plate away from me and folded my arms. "Well?"

Seth sighed and passed his fingers through his thick black hair. "Jeez, Nessie. It wasn't like _that_. It happened a million years ago. Your Mom was still…." He made a pause and eyed his mother and Charlie " Err…_single_. Edward had left her. It's a long story."

Wow. You have to have talent to make something bad like that turn worse. "Edward what?" I asked, getting even more confused. That's totally absurd. Edward and Bella were like attached by the belly. No way would he dump her. Especially when she was human. That what Seth meant when he said "single". Because I think "ex-human" would be too much information to Charlie and Sue to process, so single would do it. I wonder what they think my Mom Is now.

If they just _knew_.

"…It was a totally complicated situation… anyway. Edward and Bella got married and they are together until today. So, does it matter?"

He sounded like it wasn't a big deal. But the truth was: I don't know. Does it? When he came to pick up me at the airport, Jake seemed the same Jacob I know since I was in diapers. My Jacob (I mean, Ashanti's Jacob). But, suddenly, I'm receiving this ton of info about his love life. Jacob Imprinted. Jacob and my Mom had a thing when she was human. Jacob and my Mom making out. Ew! Jacob, Mom and Dad stuck up in some weird love triangle.

Oh, my God.

Seriously, how malfunctioned a family can be? I mean… we are all immortals. And we were not the typical family. Mom and Jake are like best friends since ever. But Mom and Dad… they belong together. I didn't like much the idea of Jake messing with their story.

I don't like the idea of Jacob imprinting either. That's none of my business. Jacob is my friend. Of course he had all the right of having a girlfriend or whatever. So why this bothers me so much?

"Seriously, Nessie." Seth was saying, his big dark eyes filled with concern. I felt bad for him. "Forget this."

I had tons of questions in my mind now, but, fortunately to him, the bell rang before I could start the interrogation.

Charlie jumped from his sit. "Hun. I'll see who is on the door."

I heard clearly a male voice from the door.

"Oh, Justin. How are you doing?" complimented Charlie, sounding a bit surprised. The other voice seemed young, and it was pleasant to hear. The type of the voice you imagine whispering sweet things on your ear. "- Is everything all right?"

"Hi, Chief Swan. Yeah, everything is just fine. Everyone is just fine…"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Seth grunting and attaching a particularly big piece of potato on his mouth, looking pissed. I raised my eyebrows at him and ducked my head to see who it was.

It was Mr. Pink Furry! What did he want here?

I got more confused by his following words. He looked so shy and still charming that you couldn't just imagine him dancing the way I saw. And with the pink furry scarf and everything.

"Well, the thing is, my sister wants to see those actors on the shooting tonight, so I was wondering if I could take your…"

"… You mean Nessie?" interrupted Charlie, without really classifying me as his granddaughter. I would have to talk to him about that. If, technically, Bella was 25 years old, there was no way she could have a 16 year old daughter like me. So I was Edward's little sister. Charlie and I were not related, then. I forgot about that part. Really, how tiresome it is to lie to everyone all the time.

"Well, ask her. For me, there is no problem, since she's home not too late." He said with a shrug, but I could imagine him analyzing Justin Pink Furry. "Nessie?"

My mouth fell open. Oh, come on. You've got to be kidding me. Flurry Guy wants to take me on a date with his sister. Just because I saw him dancing. Now, that's just awesome. The first guy who asks me out is taking his little sister and enjoys dancing J-Lo's songs with pink scarf wrapped around his neck.

I'm such a loser.

Seth snorted and I glared at him as he pretended he was coughing. Thank God, his Mom was too busy with the apple pie on the oven to pay attention to us.

I crossed the small kitchen and went to the door. Charlie said:

"She's all yours." He said with a shrug and headed back to the table.

"Thank you, Sir." Justin said, politely and there was nothing pink on his dark washed and red sweater. He looked really good, actually. Very blondish and muscular. His brown eyes seemed very warm and alluring and the scent of his blood, very sweet. ."Hello, Nessie."

"Justin." I said with a short nod and a polite smile. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline your invitation. I'm very tired."

He shot me his best puppy dog smile.

"Oh, come on. It's just 8 pm. And it's going to be fun."

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Justin. I won't tell anyone." I decided being direct because we both knew that was a game. He didn't want to go out with me.

He looked scared for a second. "Please. I want to." He whispered.

Being in a crowd surrounded by humans it wasn't how I really wanted to end my day, especially this one. But he looked so sweet. And I had to admit that it was cute from him to take his sister to see the actors and stuff. Besides, it was better to distract myself a little than whining over the Jacob-Mom-imprinting stuff.

"Fine. And, just for the record, this is not a date." I said and on the following second, I kicked myself for that. Why the hell should this not be a date? What was my problem? "So what shooting are we going to watch?" I said, with a smile.

He grinned and said: "Oh, they are filming a romantic story. Something about immortals families which hate each other….I don't know." He rolled his eyes the same way Seth had done when I talked about Hugh Jackman in tight T-shirt.

I smiled, as I grabbed the parka I used earlier from the back of a chair and put over my boyfriend's jeans and a white T-shirt.

A cute blonde girl, around her 11 years was waiting on the steps. She was wearing a black T-shirt where you could read. "If you can live forever, what you live for?" which was a quote from Mom's first novel – "Dark Night" .Yeah, Bella was a writer, or, better saying, a ghost writer. Since she published, she hired someone to be on the interviews and this kind of stuff.

"Finally." Sniffed the girl, wiping a golden curl from over her shoulders, in a way it made me think of Aunt Rosalie. I could see her trying that very move a dozen times in front of the mirror to have that precise effect of disdain and grace. Charming. "We are getting late. And Tiffany had called twice. We are going to miss all the fun"

" Anna." Warned Justin between his clenched teeth "There is plenty of time, okay? Now, pretend you are educated and say hi to my friend Nessie…"

"—Masen." I completed and I flashed her a smile. She had the same pale blue eyes of her brother and she smelled like flowers on a spring morning "Nice to meet you, Anna."

"You're pretty." She said in a tone that probably a princess uses when she wants a pony

"Despite the plain shirt." She sniffed. "Let's go."

She turned and started walking. I looked at Justin and he blushed brightly. "I'm so sorry about this. I'll….hum…_Anna_!"

I bit my lip to not laugh. I don't know which I found funnier if Justin and his motherly ways or Anna and her queen bee complex.

I walked with them (and Justin made her apologize) The night was pleasant and, as we approached the right street where the shooting was going to happen, we could see others groups approaching. Girls, mostly, but I could see boys as well. Each one of them added a little arch in the back of my throat. I hadn't eaten much tonight, so I think I'll hunt tomorrow. I'm around humans right now and I won't take any chances.

We found a place near the corner behind the area of the shooting. Still we were quite far way. I could see the actors being prepared and the director talking to one of them. A lovely boy, with dark hair and deep grey eyes. He was playing the protagonist, Lincoln.

As far as I could hear, they were discussing the scene. Anna went to meet her friends, the queen bee's maids. I think I got so entertained about the discussion, because it involved so many details, that I actually, forgot about Justin.

"So…" he was saying. I could hear how nervous he was. "About earlier…."

I looked at him. He didn't seem gentle and funny, but defensive. Like a threaten animal. Wow, he was really worried about that.

"What about it?"

He looked around and said "I just want you to know that doesn't happen frequently… I got carried away and…"

I shrugged and turned my attention to the scene. He was pathetic. People are who they are. "That's not my problem, Justin. I'm not here to judge you."

He opened his mouth and I said, with a sigh "I won't tell anyone."

His lips went thin "How can I be sure? Did you say anything to Clearwater?"

I gave up on paying attention to the shooting. "What? No! I knew that was the reason you invited me to come. You're such a crybaby!"

"Justin!" called a male voice. We turned to see group of teenagers coming close, all big and strong like Justin. Forks' version of Beautiful People. And a girl, tiny and curvy passed by them and kissed him fully in the mouth. I raised my eyebrows.

"Take it easy, Summer." Said one of the boys with an easy smile. I guess she kiss her friends regularly. "Justin has company tonight."

"Oh" she said, blushing prettily and giving me an apologetically smile. "I'm sorry. Justin and I are…"

"…just friends.' I completed, disgusted. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm going anyway. He's all yours." I passed by them as they mocked on Justin.

"We are not done, Nessie." He grunted between his teeth.

I turned to him very slowly and buried my eyes on him. I saw him trembling a bit. I used my smoothest tone "Yes, we are. It was a pleasant evening. Tell Anna I said bye."

He blinked a couple of times, but nodded. "Fine."

The crowd to the see actors had grown considerably since we got here. It was difficult to push people gently, as they insisted on pushed me back to the like.

I was almost out of the mass of people when something made me stop. A shiver went down my spine as I felt a scent… and it was not human.

A vampire. There was a vampire here.

My eyes scanned the crowd rapidly. Where was he? Would he be stupid enough to attack in the middle of the crowd? Worse, would he wait and follow one of those girls? They are seemed so fragile… so breakable. All he had to do is wait. Or attack. A single vampire could kill fifteen of them in less than a minute.

And then I saw him… Dimitri. From the Volturi guard. He had the guts of wink at me, his eyes in an odd shade of purple. He seemed very attractive on his black suit and dark shirt. I kept my eyes on him, as I crossed the filled street. A few miles away from us, the drama continued. Marion and Lincoln were fighting for their love. And their audience could be killed right here and right now. They wouldn't even notice... Too hypnotized to have a glimpse of Lincoln's dark hair to realize they were in danger. My heart was accelerated as I was getting closer. I excused myself from another group, but, when I looked, he had already gone.

I looked around, but the trail of scent had gone with him too. Instead, I felt something more like earth and green leaves. A scent I knew very well. Jacob was here.

"Nessie!" he boomed, towering most of the people, who stared at him, with a mix of amazement, fascination and lust. Summer seemed to have forgotten all about her 'friends'. Why, I guess mine are simply hotter.

She has no idea.

Seth and Paul flanked him, their dark eyes scanning the crowd as I did..

"Are you okay?" asked Jacob.

"Yeah. He left before I could reach him."

"Someone we knew?" asked Seth, calmly, but I could see he was cautious. .He was thinking of the Volturi, I'm sure.

"It was Dimitri." I made a pause and they growled under their breaths." I think…."

I stopped for a second and looked at Jacob. His pretty features were dark with concern. His big, muscular body seemed warmer. He stretched his hand and I held it. I sighed, showing him what I saw. The warmth that came from his hands was the best thing that happened to me today. I wasn't afraid anymore. Jacob was here. Everything was going to be fine.

"Yes?" he asked "What, Nessie?"

"I think I have to tell you something. There are others like me."

N/A: Well? Please, review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I'm not Stephenie Meyer. And Twilight Saga character belongs to her. I just write fanfics. =)**

**N/A: Hey. I know it's been a long time. A very long time, indeed. My apologies.**

**Last year, I had a really bad time. It took me a long time to recover and, when I was finally okay, I had the impression that I had no ideas at all. Nothing that I was writing was pleasing me. So I stopped it. I think I had lost it.**

**Then, I realized that I actually miss writing. I really do So, I'm back. I'm working on a new Independent Bella chapter.**

**I hope you guys enjoy this one. **

**I also would like to say thanks to Kate for helping me with this chapter.**

**Happy reading! **

Chapter 6

Don't Speak/ Hello

N

"_You and me _

_We used to be together _

_Everyday together always _

_I really feel _

_That I'm losing my best friend _

_I can't believe _

_This could be the end _

_It looks as though you're letting go _

_And if it's real _

_Well I don't want to know" _

No Doubt – Don't Speak

J

"_I long to see the sunlight in your hair _

_And tell you time and time again how much I care _

_Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow _

_Hello, I've just got to let you know" _

Lionel Ritchie/Glee Cast – Hello

For an instant, Jake looked a little taken aback.

"What?"

Paul snorted. "… and our night just gets better and better."

I rolled my eyes at him and Jacob took a step forward before I could form a reply.

"Ok. One thing at a time." He said, giving a slight push on Paul to avoid us punching each other. A lovely thought that crossed my mind a couple of times in the last hour. "First, we have to deal with the Volturi guy. Then, we will talk about your other… friends." He added with a slight smile. Did he look uncomfortable for a moment?

Nah.

I smiled brightly at him and stroked my hands, ready for the action. I was definitely looking forward to hunting Demitri down. Maybe I could stop by for a snack on my way back? A deer, maybe two? My mouth started watering with the thought.

"Now, you and Seth go back to Charlie's and keep guard there." He continued.

My grin fell immediately.

"WHAT?" Seth and I cried together "No way!"

I think whined would be a more accurate term.

Jake laughed. He passed his strong arms around me and Seth and, despite the smile on his face; I could tell he was serious.

"That was really cute, guys. However, last time I checked, I was the leader of the pack. So, both of you move… now!" he said with authority.

Seth groaned, but obeyed. I stomped my feet angrily.

"I'm not in the pack!" I protested. I was sounding like an annoying brat, but I didn't care. Demitri was messing with my hunting schedule. Darn him!

He grinned and pushed back a lock of hair that had escaped from the loose ponytail that I was wearing. I could see the many shades of brown on his iris. There was so much warmth in there; and how long his lashes were. His white, perfect teeth contrasting with the russet of his skin…

This is getting so weird.

I decided taking a cautious step back, releasing myself from his friendly embrace. I buried my hands on the pockets of the parka, trying to look at ease. If I start blushing here, it would be my ruin.

"No, you aren't, Nessie. But you are our guest. So, the guest does what the Leader wants. Capisce?"

I clenched my teeth and nodded. I was just acting too weird for my taste and I didn't trust my voice. He took another step. I could feel the warmth coming from his body in waves. "I know you are not happy about this. I'm sorry. I promise we will handle this tonight; so we can focus on having fun tomorrow."

Yeah, with Ashanti with us. Lots of fun ahead. U-huuuh.

But I nodded and smiled, pretending that I was pleased and started walking. You may say that I was running away. And I really was. For now, everything was simply too messy. I definitely could use some time to recollect my thoughts.

People were getting together near the tape, in order to get an autograph, maybe a photo with the actors. I saw Justin's sister there. At least, she was with a big group; she was safe, for now. Justin was a bit ahead, chatting with his friends; covertly keeping an eye on the girl. He saw me, but didn't try to talk to me. It's better this way.

Seth and I walked in silence to Charlie's house. I guess we both were worried about Demitri jumping from a dumpster or something along those ridiculous lines. I was trying to catch any sound, any scent in the air; but I knew it was useless. Demitri would be found when he wanted; he could be anywhere. I just wondered what he wanted. Just to check on me? To check on the wolves?

We arrived soon enough. The street had a bit of movement; people coming and going from their houses, the sound of a television on Oprah, the smell of human food, a loud radio somewhere up ahead. A quiet night in a quiet town.

We stopped in front of the house, walked tiredly up the stairs.

"Ok." He said, holding my elbow to prevent me from going in "Let's act as everything was ok. My friends were too busy gushing on that Liam person…"

" His name is Lincoln" I corrected him, speaking very clearly, as we do with annoying guys, who insist on changing the names of our favorite heroes, just because they were cute. He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "…my date sucked…" I completed, "That's why I'm back this early."

He snorted "Why I am not surprised?" He pretended he was vomiting and I laughed, after punching him lightly on the shoulder. Then, he turned serious again. "Anyway, you check upstairs and I, downstairs. I'll just hang out with them a little bit. Keep an eye on 'em."

"Sounds good to me." I said. I was more then happy with this arrangement; I wasn't really on the mood for small talk.

Charlie and Sue were watching a TV show. Law & Order: Criminal Intent, I guess.

The windows were half closed, since Forks summer nights were cold. The yellow curtains being softly blown by the wind. The lights were all off, except for the TV's; leaving the room mostly in shadows. I shivered. There were plenty of rooms for someone to hide here. But I doubt it; if Demitri were here, Charlie and Sue would already be dead.

Charlie turned to look at us from over his shoulder, completely at ease and unaware of my thoughts. It must be nice to live in a world like that.

Sue, however, tensed almost immediately. I hated myself for making her feel so uncomfortable in her own house.

"Hey, kids. You came back early." He smiled and took a sip from what seemed like an herbal tea and shivered. By the smell that came from the cup, I certainly cannot blame him "Did you get to see the actors?"

"Yeah!" I said cheerfully, as I took the parka to hang it on the hook near the front door. "They were shooting one of my favorite scenes. It seemed so romantic! There were gazillions of fan girls there!" I sang. "Mom will be so pleased!"

What? I was trying to play my role here.

"And the date. Err… did it go well?" he asked, politely, but I knew he really didn't want to know. He just wanted to know that I didn't have any complaints; that he hadn't crossed any lines. Seth asked if they wanted something to drink since he was going to the kitchen to grab a soda. He passed by me and winked. I wanted to check on the second floor, but I had to play smooth.

I grimaced. "Not compatible, I'm afraid." I shrugged, feeling indifferent. "But he's not bad, I guess. Anyway, it was fun to go out, but I'm kind of tired."

"Of course you are, dear. Go get some rest. You have all the rest of the summer to have fun."

I wished them a good night and excused myself. The second floor had just the corridor lights on. I quickly and thoroughly checked the bedrooms and the bathrooms. Everything was just fine. I didn't find any strange scents either. Just human- which I'd already expected.

I headed back to the room where I was staying. I shut the window and after verifying there was no one under the bed or inside the wardrobe, I turned on the lamp beside the bed, kicked off my shoes and sat on the colorful duvet. My senses still up for anything strange. As I was getting older, I didn't have to sleep every night. However, with everything I had heard today and the tension, I felt exhausted.

I sighed and lay on my back, staring at the ceiling, as the lights of the street and Justin's house were reflected there. I picked my I Phone out from the pocket of my jeans and checked the photos Mom and Dad had sent me from Brazil. They seemed so happy together. The shot was taken from their balcony. They were side by side, their faces focused and they both smiled at the camera. It should just be twilight, so the last sun lights reflected on their skin. They seemed so young but then, they always will.

That reminded that I still had to tell them about what was going on here. God, Dad will freak out for sure. And the worst part is: I don't know what I am doing here anymore.

I mean, ok. I came to spend my vacation at my Grandpa's house; hang out with Jake and Seth, enjoy the last month until classes started up with my debut into High School, my seventh birthday.

But it isn't that simple, is it? Never is.

Forks had moved on and so had the werewolves on the reservation; they were maturing, forming families. Their lives were following a natural, human path since the vampires had long gone. Even Jacob.

I knew Jacob since forever. But I never truly thought of him as Jacob. He was just… my Jacob. Who liked motorbikes and cars. Who enjoyed being outdoors and watching action films. And now, he had imprinted as well… I guess- on a very nice girl; clever, pretty, outspoken. He had a business of his own. His life, as a young adult, was just beginning.

I bit my lip, feeling my eyes start to ache.

And this was… great. I mean, Jacob deserves forming a family. Someone who could take him to the sun, so he could leave the supernatural behind and let his life follow its course.

And I… I wasn't human enough to stay here without ruining everything. Because I am not a normal girl. There was too much vampire blood in my veins, my DNA, down to my very core. I can't spend vacation at her Grandpa's house without dragging the Volturi with me.

Because I can't enjoy Sue's homemade apple pie properly without wishing to be drinking blood, or better- Sue's blood...

Because I can't hold a child without putting the kid in danger- or make two great friends, like Paul and Jake argue because of me, because I was dying of jealousy of Jake and Ashanti, and I couldn't wrap my mind on why he didn't tell me earlier. Maybe he thinks I'll flip out; that I was going to make a scene.

And, to make it all worse, I'm having these weirdo thoughts about Jake and how great he looks on a black T-shirt. Seriously, this is ridiculous and out of line too; having a crush on a close friend was so last year. Couldn't I have a crush on Jake instead of embarrassing myself because of Garret? By now, this would be over and I would not be freaking out just because he had- or might have- imprinted on someone.

My I Phone rang once and I checked the caller ID quickly. It was Aunt Alice.

"Hey." I said, whipping a stubborn tear away and took a deep breath, calming myself.

"Hey, Nessie!" she said cheerfully. I pictured her small and pixie-like frame; she was always such a ball of energy, I smiled. She always had this power. "Is everything all right?"

"No." I said. Why should I bother to pretend? "Never mind. Shoot."

She hesitated "Well, the house we were looking for in Billings is out. The older lady decided she is going to leave the house for her son, after all. At the very last minute! Which is totally stupid because he's not going to leave Chicago to live there. But of course she didn't listen to me."

She sounded so insulted. I'll bet she creeped that poor old lady out. I laughed just thinking about it.

'This is not funny, Renesmee Carlie Cullen."

My grin fell. "Oh, come on; let's not start with full names here." I groaned. She sniffed and I quickly said "Ok, so… did you find another house?"

"Of course we did! And it is awesome! Much better than that other one. It's close to the forest; very private…" She kept babbling. "You will love your bedroom!" She sang and I couldn't help but smile. You've got to love Alice. "… and it is in Vancouver, Canada!" She was definitely beaming.

Well, that was good news.

"Really? It'll be nice to live in a big city for a change." I said, practically jumping up and down on the bed. And it was still close enough for Jake and Charlie to visit us. I'm sure that was the whole point.

Oh, I have to tell her.

"Well, Aunt Alice, there is something you should know."

She listened to me without asking any questions; which was a good thing. I didn't go into details and left the part about Jake's imprinting off. It was great to talk to her.

"Okay. I'm sure the Volturi will not start a conflict with the shape shifters." she said after a moment. "I'm sure you are quite safe there, Nessie. But, you sounded upset. What do you want to do?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. I had to do it. I can't just keep hurting people like that. And the worst part is that I will hurt people when I go- weather it be now or later.

At least, they won't be in danger.

"I'm coming home."

N/A: Please, review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer! Oh, Jace Wayland belongs to Cassandra Clare, of course!**

**Author's Note: Hey guys! It's been a long time, I know. But I decided it was time to write again. I'll slowly update all of my stories. I'd like to say thanks to Jane, the girl who had the patience to fix my grammar mistakes.  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

Chapter 7

Home

"I'm going home back to the place where I belong  
Where your love has always been enough for me  
I'm not running from.  
No, I think you've got me all wrong  
I don't regret this life I chose for me  
But these places and these faces are getting old  
So I'm going home  
Well I'm going home"

Daughtry – "Home"

Nessie hung up the phone for the last time feeling tired and moody. Mostly she felt sad. After fifteen minutes explaining to her parents what was going on in Forks and another twenty minutes making all the arrangements for her return to Providence, where they'd been living for the past two years, she felt like she needed a break.

She went to the small bathroom annexed to the bedroom, washed her face, and changed her worn out clothes for a pair of grey sweatpants, a blue T-shirt and sporty flats. Not exactly X-Men's stylish leather outfits, but she did have the impression that Kill Bill's The Bride had better ideas about comfort outfits than did Professor X.

Feeling a bit more human, she came out of her bedroom to find out that Charlie and Sue had fortunately retired for the night. If everything worked out, Charlie would never find out about what was going on. Nessie had promised Bella to not tell the whole story about how bad the situation was; even if Charlie knew a bit about vampires and shape shifters, there was no reason to scare him.

"Hey!" said Seth, coming from the kitchen with a coffee-pot that smelled like Heaven. "I was about to call you. They finally went to sleep."

Nessie flashed a thankful smile at him. "Oh, Seth! Did you make some coffee?" She felt she could kiss him for that.

He smiled and said sheepishly, "I thought we both would need some, keeping watch and everything." He gestured toward the coffee table where a chess board, a deck of cards, and other games, as well as chocolates, candies and all of sorts of sweets, were waiting for them. "So?"

Nessie climbed down the last steps and clapped her hands excitedly. "Wow! Aren't you just awesome? You'll be a very good husband!"

Seth rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Miss Bennet. Let's just play, shall we?"

Three cups of coffee and two chocolate bars later, Nessie felt like she could beat half the Volturi guard by herself. She was being shamelessly defeated by Seth but couldn't bring herself to mind. The world had turned into a nice place again. She made a risky move with her bishopand had leaned against the nearest sofa, lazily un-wrapping a third chocolate bar, when she saw a shadow climbing up the stairs of the entrance of the house.

"Jake!" she sang, getting up very quickly to open the door. Seth was just behind her, happy, but a bit preoccupied. However, all she felt was her heart speeding up when she saw his face, her cheeks flushing a bit. She would start bubbling soon. What a bother, she thought, irritated. Then she remembered Ashanti and the feeling cooled down.

"You're kind of early," commented Seth, burying his hands in the pockets of his faded jeans. But Nessie could see the tension in his shoulders.

"Yeah!" she agreed, relieved that she didn't have to deal with her feelings now. "Did you find him? Did you discover what is he doing here?"

Jacob groaned and came in. "Not even close, sweety. That leech is a sneaky one. I'll give him that. But we'll get him, I'll promise you that." He ruffled her hair, laughing when she protested and turned to Seth. "But now we have other problems."

Annoyed, Nessie patted her hair back into place and asked, "Wait, what? What can be worse than a Volturi guard?"

"There is a coven of vampires in town," said Jacob, his face grim with hate. "Brady said they sneaked in when we were after Demitri in the suburbs. It seems they attracted a group of girls to the woods."

A shiver went down her spine, and she sat at the edge of a nearby sofa to process the information. She felt so sorry for them. It was a stupid way to die. But what chance did they have?

"What do you want me to do?" asked Seth.

Jake hesitated, shooting Nessie a quick glance. But she was looking down, her face pale. A wave of protectiveness washed over him. It was just too bad this was happening now when she was about to go to school. The Cullens had protected her the best way they could, but they couldn't do it for forever. Vampires were always too close to death. The idea had been to make her live among humans in a sunny place. Maybe one day, he thought. If there was anything good about being supernatural, it was all the time they had.

"I know you're here protecting your mom, but we don't know if they've spread in the woods, putting the girls in different locations. So I think we would be faster with more wolves to track them down."

"Sure. I'll be going. Mom and Charlie will be fine with Nessie here. We _are_ in the middle of the city."

"But what if this is a threat?"

She raised her head, and he saw her lovely wide brown eyes. It was what he loved most about her face. She didn't look scared as Jacob had expected. Instead her eyes were dark and glassy. The expression was fierce, like a cornered animal. A part of him reacted to this vision, and in not a good way.

"Because it's very convenient that this vampire coven shows up just now."

Jacob shrugged. "Maybe, but we don't have a choice. There are lots of tourists in Forks right now. They are good targets. They don't know this area; they are naïve, reckless…"

"They don't deserve to die, Jacob," said Nessie.

"No, they don't. But now I have to leave you here and track them down—or just find out what has become of them, haven't I?" he asked, a bit more sharply than he wanted.

She took a step back, and he hated himself for hurting her like this. "Nessie—"

"Don't worry about me. It's better if you two leave now. There is no time to waste. I hope you guys find them well." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Jacob looked as if he was about to say something, but he gave up and left with Seth on his tracks.

Nessie locked the door feeling unprotected and exposed. She sighed and went to check the whole house once again. Then she went back to the living room, planning to clean up the mess Seth and she had left. And maybe catch up a bit with Jace Wayland of _The Mortal Instruments_; Nessie's thesis was that there was nothing that a good hero couldn't fix.

Then she heard a noise: quiet steps of someone skirting around the house. She watched, terrified, as a shadow passed in front of the windows. The sound stopped at the back door.

Demitri was here.

Her heart pounding, Nessie crossed the living room and the corridor toward the kitchen and stopped again, trying to gain some control, her eyes darting toward every window, trying to find a way to run to Charlie and let him know. But there wasn't one and she knew it. From the light and the movement, she knew pretty well Demitri had just waited for Seth and Jake to leave.

She'd have to deal with him. So she took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Good evening," he said, politely.

She tried to find a reason to be rude to him but couldn't, so she simply replied, "Mr. Demitri. Good evening. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He smiled, but the effect of his burgundy eyes was more disturbing than attractive on him.

"I hope the hour is not too inconvenient." He put a hand inside his jacket and took out a thick ivory envelope. "I came to deliver you this."

Nessie took the envelope, confused. "A letter? Why didn't you send it by mail?"

His smile was sharp as a knife. "I'm sure you wouldn't like this to fall into the wrong hands, my dear. We are old fashioned, the Volturi." He paused as his eyes studied the kitchen. Nessie felt herself tensing, but she tried to keep her face expressionless. "Are your relatives awake?"

"I'm afraid it's very late, Demetri. Today was very tiresome, you know. Please, do send my best regards to Aro!" she said cheerfully, ready to shut the door in his face just for of the pleasure of doing it.

He put the hand on the door to stop it. "One more thing, my dear." His face was very close to hers. She could feel his cold, minty breath. "Tell your Mother to place her stories in some more populated location next time. All those girls, walking in the woods just to get a glimpse of their favorite actor." He sighed, dreamy. "Such a shame."

Nessie felt her anger boiling inside her, so she shut the door in his face because the other option was to punch that smug face until it cracked. She heard his laugh as she left the kitchen and climbed up the stairs as quickly and silently as she could. Fortunately, Charlie and Sue didn't seem to notice anything. She went to her bedroom and closed the door behind her, her hands ripping open the envelope and with it the green candle wax molded with the stylish V of the Volturi.

A small pile of photographs fell on the colorful duvet. Nessie picked up the first one and winced. The whole pack was the portrait of an afternoon two weeks ago. Someone had been following her.

It was the beginning of summer, a lovely sunny day in Providence. She was taking a break after one of Esme's English classes and her grandmother insisted she should go for a walk and get some air. She had agreed and went to a small coffee shop where the students of the university were celebrating the end of exams. And someone had caught her eye, a lovely boy called Matt, who had offered to buy her an ice cream. She remembered mumbling something in agreement and then them going for a walk in the park.

Nessie didn't talk much, but she listened to him talk about his life in Florida and how he wanted go to the same university his brother was studying at the next year. She'd never been a shy person, but she had found herself in a situation that she wasn't expecting: having to lie. It came easily, but she felt awful for doing it. He was such a nice guy.

Then he kissed her. And she almost bit him.

When she thought about that, her cheeks burned in shame. She knew it was wrong. But she got carried away by his kisses, the silky feeling of the touch of his skin on hers. His warmth and, most of all, the smell of his throat. God, he smelled of summer!

And now, she was staring at the picture of herself staring the neck at of the poor boy, as if she was some, some _maniac_.

"Oh, my God!" she groaned, picking up the pictures and ripping them. Thick tears rolled down her face as she opened the letter itself. It was made of the same expensive material as the envelope. It said:

"_Dear Miss Cullen,_

"_I'm sure you must know that the secrecy of our species is an essential part of our existence. Your behavior has put that in jeopardy. So, for the present, I'm giving this one and only warning. You'll be under surveillance by one of our guards for an undetermined period. If I'm not satisfied, the peace agreement with the Volturi will be cancelled and your coven will be destroyed. _

_Marcus"_

Nessie went to the bathroom and threw up all of the salmon and the chocolates she had for dinner.

She cried herself to sleep that night, fully dressed and wrapped up in the duvet like a burrito. She didn't even hear Seth coming back. Now pale sunlight was getting through the half shut curtains.

But she didn't have much time, so she took a quick shower and put on her best travelling clothes: a pair of black leggings, a pale grey lightweight sweater dress and a pair of comfort black flats. She brushed her rich auburn hair and her teeth and packed up her things. She felt sad for doing it. Her vacation had ended before it even started. But there was no use whining over this anymore, she thought. Things were simply this way and she would have to find a way to get through it.

Seeing that everything was packed and the bedroom was neat, she took some time writing one letter to Jacob and another to Seth explaining why she was leaving earlier. She had intended to tell them yesterday but hadn't heard them come back. Plus, she was simply too ashamed to look Jake in the face. Jake had some really strong opinions about vampires. Sure, he liked her family and all. But the way she had behaved, almost sucking a guy in the park? Nah. She needed some time to recollect her thoughts. She expected that when they had moved away from Cambridge, to their new life in Vancouver, she would be better. Wiser. In her letter she invited him to visit them in Canada but explained that things would be too messy by now. That hurt. A lot.

She found Charlie sitting by the kitchen table, reading the newspaper with a mug of coffee in one hand while Sue was busy frying eggs and bacon. The weather was good, so she bet he was going fishing with some of his friends. He raised his head looking surprised.

"Hey. Girl! It's kind of early for you, isn't?" he asked good-humoredly as he took a sip of the coffee. Nessie had to admit it smelled great.

By the look on Sue's face, Nessie could tell she knew a lot more she let on. Nessie could do nothing about that, so she pulled a chair and said, "Yeah, Grandpa. I know it's kind of early and all. But we need to talk."

It was high noon when the taxi stopped in front of the big Queen Anne residence in the northern part of the city, on a quiet street not too far away from both downtown or Brown University. The sunlight reflected off its windows, filtered only by the huge trees of the street. It was a very welcome view after the tiresome travel from Forks.

She paid the driver, grabbed her luggage, and quickly climbed up the stairs to the front door, which opened before she could even touch the knob.

"Thank God you're here," cried Alice, pulling her inside and giving her a quick but tight hug as she shot the bolt on front door. "We've been out of our minds worrying about you! So nice to see you're in one piece!" She clapped her hands happily.

Nessie blushed, and her shoulders seemed to fall a bit, discouraged. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I guess nothing really happened as I expected," she said pulling a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Alice! Give the girl some room!" said Esme with a relieved smile, as she came from the back of the house. She was dressed in a pair of khakis and a white tank top, and her hair fell over her shoulders.

Alice studied her niece's face as Esme said her hellos. She could see she was relieved and even happy to be home. That didn't surprised her, considering how scared she must have felt the last 24 hours. However, Alice asked herself why Jacob Black wasn't here in a time like this. Because if he wasn't, maybe that vacation trip had cost Renesmee much more than a few days in the company of her friends and her Grandpa.

She locked her arm with hers, and Edward's daughter beamed at her.

"Never mind that. Come. You must be thirsty. There are a few bottles of ox's blood in the fridge." Alice led them inside the house, passing by the living and dining rooms. The air was fresh and scented with lemon and roses. It was a lovely house, elegantly designed. But it didn't have that air of the cover of a design magazine. Here and there, one could see that people actually lived in it.

"Thank God!" cried Nessie. "I didn't have time to go hunting with the whole Volturi situation." She opened the fridge when they reached the kitchen and grabbed a dark colored bottle from it. She quickly opened it and put it in the microwave for a minute.

Nessie wasn't a fan of heated animal blood, but since it was too sunny to go out and she had had a bad time in the flight, she would make an exception. She served the blood in a tin cup, took a sip, and sighed.

"Why don't you bring it outside? We are taking a break on the patio. The day is too pretty to stay inside. Later you can unpack," said Esme gently.

Nessie had to admit that it was difficult to stay depressed when she was treated with such care by these people she loved so much. It wasn't in her nature to spend a long time mourning over something because everything was so changeable; it was just a matter of start over.

They had spread old blankets and folding chairs on the lawn, leveraging the shade of a big oak tree in their backyard so that they could enjoy the day without sparkling like a discothèque ball. But she was a bit tense about how they were going to react when they knew she was on probation. That affected everyone. She decided to wait and tell her parents first, and then tell everyone else later.

They sat comfortably as her aunt kept babbling about the new house in Vancouver, saying that she and Esme would go there to take a look and see if the house would need any fixing. They spent a long time looking at catalogues of colors and patterns of wallpapers and comparing them with pictures of the place. Alice commented about visiting the new school. Jasper joined them after a while, on the phone telling everyone she was home and safe. It was amazing how he could just sit there, reading a huge George R.R. Martin's book she was thinking of giving a try, and every once and then making a smart remark.

The afternoon passed smoothly and quickly. Nessie could see that the subject of Jacob was the huge pink elephant in the backyard, but they didn't push the subject. They would wait until she was ready.

When the sun went down, she went to unpack and do the laundry—a boring business, but it had to be done. When she had finished, her parents and Carlisle had arrived.

Time for the show.


End file.
